Our Wander Years

TX1 Hop 5: Lafayette LA to Fairhope AL

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Sparky

277 miles via I-10, I-12 (north of New Orleans) and US 98. We took a bit of a roundabout way getting from our hotel in Lafayette to I-10 and stopped for lunch in Port Allen LA. Cumulative miles: 1912.

This was an easy trip to navigate, but, like most of the other hops on TX1, was very long. We stopped for lunch at the Court Street Cafe in Port Allen, the place where we had a wonderful dinner on the way west. This time we had lunch: a bowl of gumbo for me and a humongous loaded baked potato for Ooma, both terrific. It was the largest baked potato I have ever seen – the size of a Nerf football.

Our original itinerary had us staying in Fairhope AL for two nights, guests of Ooma’s sister, Maggy, and her husband. Unfortunately, her sister came down with something – possibly the flu or a bad cold – the day before we were scheduled to arrive. So we cancelled our stay at their house. But I thought it would be a shame for Ooma to miss out on seeing her sister altogether so I suggested that we get a hotel for one night in Fairhope and drop by her sister’s house to surprise her with a socially-distanced visit. We did just that, to the great delight of Maggy. Ooma gifted her with some candies, tossing them to her from a safe distance. A strange visit, but one appreciated by both women.

We dined at the Fish River Grill, a Fairhope institution. I had “Oysters NOLA”, a fried oyster dish served on a bed of fried green tomatoes with a crawfish sauce. Delicious. Ooma had a salad and a shrimp cocktail.

Our one night in Lafayette was at the Holiday Inn Express. This was a fine hotel which featured, surprisingly, a full bar and restaurant. Ooma had a ribeye steak and I had a fried shrimp poboy. Both superb. We have been very fortunate on this trip with both the accommodations and the meals.

Categories: AL, Family, Food, LA, Places, Routes, TX1 | Leave a comment

TX1 Hop 4: Austin TX to Lafayette LA

Posted on May 31, 2022 by Sparky

386 miles via TX 183, TX 71 and I-10 with two rest and refueling stops. Cumulative miles: 1635. About 10 miles were due to a wrong turn at the start of the TX 71 segment and a navigational error by yours truly that took us to the wrong hotel. Oops.

This was an easy hop in terms of navigation (except for the wrong turn which I just don’t understand – we were in the right lane and then, suddenly, we were going west instead of east) and the weather was fine, but it was still a long day of travel. We continued to listen to Stephen King’s Billy Summers, which we are both enjoying very much.

An unexpected sight was a herd of galloping zebras as we passed FreBo Ranch. Not something you see every day.

Categories: LA, Places, Routes, TX, TX1 | Leave a comment

TX1: 4 days in Austin TX

Posted on May 31, 2022 by Sparky

Attending the wedding of Ooma’s close friends Peter and Ashley was the raison d’etre for the trip to Texas. Ooma had the honor of accompanying Peter down the aisle and joining him for the mother/son dance – his mother was unable to attend as she was caring for her mother in PA.

They were married by Peter’s brother Paul. Ashley was given away by her father Jesse.

The reception included a delicious meal and an open bar. A good time was had by all, including Ooma who had a few of the signature drinks.

It was a beautiful, informal wedding.

The wedding was Sunday night. We arrived in Austin Friday night at 7pm. We had a lovely dinner that night at Cafe Malta, owned by my nephew Nick. I introduced Ooma to my sister-in-law Christine and Nick’s wife Jessica. As always, it was a wonderful dinner and Ooma was very delighted to be welcomed by Jett’s family.

Saturday afternoon and evening were devoted to the rehearsal, hosted by Ashley’s mother. Very informal with a nice BBQ dinner. It was a chance to meet all of the lovely young people in the wedding party.

We had breakfast both Saturday and Sunday mornings at the Stars Cafe which provided good food, good service and a congenial clientele. Good place!

We wandered around Austin a bit on Monday afternoon (after having some much-needed down time Monday morning), We tried to find the venue for Austin City Limits and eventually did so, but the result was not worth the effort – it is a rather nondescript building. We also wandered Rainey Street, a funky night area of Austin that is pretty subdued in the daytime. We got a take-out pizza at Salvation Pizza on Rainey. Very good pizza. While waiting for the pizza Ooma and I played two games of pool and I am proud to say that I took $10 from her. Take that, Ooma!

Our home in Austin was an AirBnB rental – my first encounter with AirBnB. It was impressive. There was absolutely nothing that wasn’t provided. Coffee cups, coffee, champagne glasses, beach towels, corkscrew, snacks… the list goes on. And we had use of the beautiful backyard and gazebo. Ooma said the place was so clean that it seemed like we were the “first ever” renters.

All in all, it was a very pleasant 4 days in Austin. Now we begin the long trek back to Ft Myers.

Categories: Friends, Places, TX, TX1 | Leave a comment

TX1 Hop 3: Port Allen LA to Austin TX

Posted on May 28, 2022 by Sparky

428 miles via I-10, US 69, TX 105 and US 290. Cumulative miles: 1249.

This was a miserable trip that involved nearly 9 hours of travel time. Some of that time was due to the planned breaks, including lunch at McDonald’s, but 6 miles were due to missing the Texas Welcome Center which Ooma wanted to visit and much of it was due to what we regard as bad advice from the welcome center person who strongly advised us to take TX 105 instead of I-10, which was under construction. We will take I-10 on the return trip so we will be able to judge just how bad that route is, but TX 105 was miserable and, we think, probably added at least 45 minutes to our travel time. Thanks for nothing, Texas Welcome Center.

But the Welcome Center experience wasn’t all bad, It had a nature walk that we thought was both beautiful and refreshing. And Ooma got her desired “made it to Texas” photo.

Our lodging on the second day was the LaQuinta in Port Allen LA. While not as nice as the Clarion Point on the first night – and certainly not as inexpensive – it was more than adequate. And we found a local restaurant – the Court Street Cafe – that verged on superb. I had my first crawfish etouffee, which was delicious, along with a chicken gumbo soup. Ooma had a beef filet that she rated as excellent. A bit pricey, but a fine meal in a town without a lot of restaurants other than fast food joints. She also got to instruct the server on how to make a cosmo, which she then enjoyed very much.

Categories: Food, LA, Places, Routes, TX, TX1 | Leave a comment

TX1 Hop 2: Tallahassee FL to Port Allen LA

Posted on May 28, 2022 by Sparky

443 miles, almost entirely on I-10, except for I-12 north of New Orleans. Cumulative miles: 821.

This was a simple hop in terms of navigation: get on I-10 west, go until I-12 split off, go to the end of I-12 and rejoin I-10 then take the exit for the hotel in Port Allen. But the weather was miserable: driving rain for about two-thirds of the trip. Fortunately the rain let up before we arrived at the destination so we had dry weather to unload the car. We did take a couple of breaks to stretch our legs and relieve our bladders, plus lunch and refueling at Buc-ee’s in Robertsdale AL. Last year, on my first encounter with Buc-ee’s, I arrived late at night and the place was virtually deserted. This time we arrived shortly after noon on a day when I-10 had a major backup and hundreds of people decided to wait it out at Buc-ee’s. It was a madhouse. But we got a sandwich to share and ate it in the car while we waited for the I-10 jam to clear and space at the 64 gas pumps to open up.

We crossed over both Alabama and Mississippi on this hop and ended up it Louisiana and it was the first time Ooma had been to any of those states. So of course we had to take at least one photo to commemorate the occasion.

Our lodging for the first night of the trip was the Clarion Point hotel in Tallahassee FL. This is a new Clarion brand so it was our first experience. Our rating: AWESOME! A lovely room, a huge TV, very clean bathroom, refrigerator and microwave, all for under $70, tax included. They don’t take pets so they won’t be an option for the trip north, but otherwise it is a brand that I will look for in the future. A fine room for a very low price. Hard to beat that.

We dined at a Chinese buffet adjacent to the hotel. Forgettable.

Categories: AL, FL, LA, MS, Places, Routes, TX1 | Leave a comment

TX1 Hop 1: Ft Myers FL to Tallahassee FL

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Sparky

378 miles via I-75, I-275 (around Tampa), FL 589, US 44, US 19/US 98 and I-10. Cumulative miles: 378. We took one bio break, one lunch break and one refueling stop.

This is a trip by car, sans RV, so there is no need to keep track of truck miles.

In case you were wondering, Rusty is with my son Tony. So no dog on this trip, either.

Before starting the trip, the purpose being to attend a wedding of one of Ooma’s dear friends, I agreed to get a real haircut. That may not seem like a big deal, but it is. I have always cut my own hair. This was maybe the third professional haircut I have had in my 73 years of life. It was performed in Ooma’s condo, by Stephanie, another condo resident who has been doing women’s hair for many years. She made an exception for me, apparently out of pity. Ooma thinks it looks good. I am not qualified to judge.

The trip was difficult only because I had cajoled Ooma into taking US 19/US 98. I have fond memories of this route because I found it very pleasant for hauling an RV. It is flat and lightly traveled and the difference in time from the longer-but-faster I-75 (where I don’t go the speed limit when hauling my 5th wheel) is negligible. It isn’t quite so pleasant for a woman with back pain – too much stop-and-go. I regretted taking her on this route which she found very unpleasant. Won’t happen again.

While on I-75 south of Tampa we were passed, on the right, by a red sports car traveling about 100 mph. It weaved in and out of traffic, nearly hitting a van. It then took an exit, followed by a state trooper who pulled him over at the bottom of the ramp. Karma.

One of the reasons that Ooma was open to the US 19/US 98 route was that it allowed her to drive across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge which she says is her “favorite bridge.”

Categories: FL, Places, Routes, TX1 | Leave a comment

Memphis Lightning

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Sparky

Buckingham Blues Band, in the “back yard”

Last weekend Ooma and I attended the Memphis Lightning concert at the Buckingham Blues Bar “back yard” – an outdoor venue that I had not seen before. This is a venue with a capacity in excess of 1,000 and so is used when there they have a high-profile featured artist. Memphis Lightning, a 3-piece “rocking blues” band led by Darren Thiboutot Jr, certainly qualifies as high-profile. Thiboutot, who is just 24, is one of the finest rock blues guitarists in the world. He puts on a good show. And with the Buckingham Blues Band, which is pretty darn good too, opening, it was a fine afternoon in good weather in a lovely venue. And Coronas were just $5 per bottle.

How can you beat that?

There were probably no more than 250 people in attendance, which made for an intimate concert. Patrons could gather close to the stage to dance. And at the end of the concert Thiboutot and his bass guitarist came down into the audience to play. Very intimate indeed.

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Drag queen bingo

Posted on May 19, 2022 by Sparky

Yes, “drag queen bingo” is a real thing, at least in Ft Myers. It is a popular dinner show option. Ooma and I went to Drag Queen Bingo night at The Standard restaurant, had a good meal and an evening of bingo and raunchy fun. I was the big winner, too, winning both the first game ($20) and the split-the-pot jackpot ($80). The bingo cost $30 and the split-the-pot tickets were $10, so net plus $60. Just about enough to pay for the meal.

Free food and fun!

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Nighttime hibiscus

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Sparky

I didn’t plant my hibiscus bushes – they were already on the lot when I purchased it. I did, however, install nighttime lighting to illuminate my flag and address. By a happy coincidence, the lighting sometimes makes a hibiscus blossom glow at night.

It is almost enough to make me wander around at midnight, photographing flowers.

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The first Texas trip (TX1) preview

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Sparky

I agonized for about 6 seconds over what label I should give to this trip. It certainly isn’t my first trip to Texas – I flew to Austin at Christmas – nor is it the first time I have traveled to Texas by car or RV. It is, however, the first road trip where Texas is the destination and that makes it worthy of a trip label.

This is actually Ooma’s trip – she is attending the wedding of a dear friend on May 27, the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. She asked if I would like to go very shortly after we met a month ago, apparently after she became convinced that I was not a serial murderer. Having already been smitten, I jumped at the opportunity. It took me about 3 nanoseconds to accept the invitation. I don’t think the invitation was quite complete when I said “Hell yeah!”.

I have already met the groom and bride as they were in Ft Myers last week for some pre-wedding festivities (they lived here for a number of years). They told me that when Ooma called to request an invitation for her “plus one” they looked at each other in puzzlement and said “Ooma has a plus one?” But they seemed to like me so I guess I passed the Plus One Test.

I am not quite sure why Ooma wants to drive. It is a long trip – over 2,500 miles, round trip. She doesn’t have a pet so that wasn’t a factor. But I guess the reason is irrelevant – the trip is on. We leave May 25 and return June 6. 11 nights. She has booked all the hotel rooms. I have made arrangements for Rusty’s care. We are taking her car. It is nearly 40 hours of travel in 7 hops. That is 360 miles per hop or about 7 hours of travel on each travel day. That is a LOT of driving. We will be taking several audiobooks and lots of snacks.

The hops:

Tallahassee FL (373 miles via I-75 and US 98). I am opting for US 98 which is shorter miles-wise but longer minutes-wise because I like that road and the return trip is otherwise identical to the trip to Austin, so it introduces a small amount of variety. 1 night at a hotel.
Port Allen LA (443 miles). 1 night at a hotel.
East Austin TX (424 miles). We are staying 5 nights at an Airbnb.
Lafayette LA (379 miles). 1 night at a hotel.
Fairhope AL (271 miles). 2 nights with Ooma’s sister.
Lake City FL (343 miles). 1 night at a hotel.
Fort Myers FL (290 miles).

Ooma will likely do most of the driving – it is her car and she likes to drive nearly as much as I do – so it will be a rare opportunity for me to be a passenger on a road trip.

Categories: Preparation/Planning, Routes, TX1 | Leave a comment